Fun with Photoshop

I love Photoshop. Seriously. It's one of my favorite design tools, and I can't imagine working without it. For photo purists and journalists, there are many reasons to limit its use to the simplest color corrections. But in the commercial world, it's a phenomenal tool for illustrations and composites—and everything in between. I really enjoy making photo compilations from existing photography. And yes, for commercial editorial purposes I absolutely credit and pay the original photographers or stock agencies... and make sure the image is captioned accordingly.

Here are a few of my latest composites. I try to show the originals, and a couple of steps along the way. Hope you like 'em.

Mitchell B-25 Bomber

Mitchell B-25 Bomber

masked selection of Mitchell B-25

masked selection of Mitchell B-25

carrier and waves

carrier and waves

masked carrier and wave selections

masked carrier and wave selections

dramatic Shutterstock image for sky and waves

dramatic Shutterstock image for sky and waves

The final image used on Melissa Farris' Aviators cover

The final image used on Melissa Farris' Aviators cover